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Gallouët Named Dean of William Smith

Posted on Wednesday, June 04, 2014

Professor and Chair of French and Francophone Studies Catherine Gallouët has been named Dean of William Smith College, an appointment to which she brings 27 years of experience as a member of the HWS faculty with an impressive record of scholarship, teaching and service.

"I am pleased that Professor Catherine Gallouët has agreed to serve the Colleges in this important way," says President Mark D. Gearan. "Professor Gallouët is a dedicated teacher who brings a wealth of experience, understanding and insight to the Dean's office. She is also an accomplished scholar whose many publications speak to her deep commitment to research and exposition. I look forward to her perspective and counsel as a member of the Colleges' senior leadership team."

An initiator of the Colleges' French study abroad programs who has served as department chair three times, Gallouët will begin her role as dean on July 1. Gallouët will also continue to hold teaching responsibilities as a member of the faculty.

"It is an honor to be appointed Dean of William Smith College and I look forward to representing William Smith College and advocating for William Smith students," Gallouët says. "I will be working with students holistically across all issues that they may encounter at the Colleges. I'm excited about finding ways to integrate their aspirations with their academic experience, helping them to discover what's right for them."

Through her involvement with HWS committees and student groups and through her role as an adviser, Gallouët has been deeply involved in the fabric of the HWS student experience since 1986. The author and editor of numerous scholarly articles, publications, reviews and book chapters, Gallouët's recent scholarly work focuses on culture and race during the French Enlightenment as documented in 18th century French literature, particularly how resistance and revolt of Africans and slaves are represented during the French Enlightenment.

Gallouët recently published "Marivaudage: théories & pratiques d'un discours" (Oxford Studies in the Enlightenment, 2014), a collection of essays exploring the style of Marivaux as it is discussed by his contemporaries and is remembered today. She also recently published on Nzingha, queen of Angola, in a special issue on Africa in the 18th century French journalDix-Huitième Siècle. The article, reviewed in Angola and in Brazil where Nzingha is a historical heroine, is considered a breakthrough in European studies of the African queen.

In addition to her recent work, Gallouët has been honored with the prestigious 2014-2015 John Readie and Florence B. Kinghorn Global Fellowship, as nominated by HWS colleagues. The fellowship honors outstanding individuals at HWS who have exemplified global citizenship on a continued basis. Through the fellowship, Gallouët will bring her research to book form, focusing on 18th century European representations of Africans in literature during the French Enlightenment.

Engaged in her work and scholarship at the global level, Gallouët is a member of Groupe de Recherches sur les Représentations Européennes de l'Afrique et des Africains aux 17e et 18e siècles, Société pour lA TOpique Romanesque, American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, North East Society for Eighteenth Century Studies, Société Marivaux, and Modern Languages Association.

Born in Vietnam, Gallouët received her doctorate and master's from Rutgers University, her B.A. cum laude from Hope College and her Bacalauréat, with honors, from Académie de Grenoble.